ARTICLE 4. Impaneling of Grand Jury [904. - 913.]

Cal. Penal Code - PEN 4.
in effect

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 904. Section 904.

Every superior court, whenever in its opinion the public interest so requires, shall make and file with the jury commissioner an order directing a grand jury to be drawn. The order shall designate the number of grand jurors to be drawn, which may not be less than 29 nor more than 40 in counties having a population exceeding four million and not less than 25 nor more than 30 in other counties.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 904.4. Section 904.4.

(a) In any county having a population of more than 370,000 but less than 400,000 as established by Section 28020 of the Government Code, the presiding judge of the superior court, upon application by the district attorney, may order and direct the drawing and impanelment at any time of one additional grand jury. (b) The presiding judge may select persons, at random, from the list of trial jurors in civil and criminal cases and shall examine them to determine if they are competent to serve as grand jurors. When a sufficient number of competent persons have been selected, they shall constitute the additional grand jury. (c) Any additional grand jury which is impaneled pursuant to this section may serve for a period of one year from the date of impanelment, but may be discharged at any time within the one-year period by order of the presiding judge. In no event shall more than one additional grand jury be impaneled pursuant to this section at the same time. (d) Whenever an additional grand jury is impaneled pursuant to this section, it may inquire into any matters that are subject to grand jury inquiry and shall have the sole and exclusive jurisdiction to return indictments, except for any matters that the regular grand jury is inquiring into at the time of its impanelment. (e) If an additional grand jury is also authorized by another section, the county may impanel the additional grand jury authorized by this section, or by the other section, but not both.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 904.6. Section 904.6.

(a) In any county or city and county, the presiding judge of the superior court, or the judge appointed by the presiding judge to supervise the grand jury, may, upon the request of the Attorney General or the district attorney or upon his or her own motion, order and direct the impanelment, of one additional grand jury pursuant to this section. (b) The presiding judge or the judge appointed by the presiding judge to supervise the grand jury shall select persons, at random, from the list of trial jurors in civil and criminal cases and shall examine them to determine if they are competent to serve as grand jurors. When a sufficient number of competent persons have been selected, they shall constitute the additional grand jury. (c) Any additional grand jury which is impaneled pursuant to this section may serve for a period of one year from the date of impanelment, but may be discharged at any time within the one-year period by order of the presiding judge or the judge appointed by the presiding judge to supervise the grand jury. In no event shall more than one additional grand jury be impaneled pursuant to this section at the same time. (d) Whenever an additional grand jury is impaneled pursuant to this section, it may inquire into any matters which are subject to grand jury inquiry and shall have the sole and exclusive jurisdiction to return indictments, except for any matters which the regular grand jury is inquiring into at the time of its impanelment. (e) It is the intent of the Legislature that all persons qualified for jury service shall have an equal opportunity to be considered for service as criminal grand jurors in the county in which they reside, and that they have an obligation to serve, when summoned for that purpose. All persons selected for the additional criminal grand jury shall be selected at random from a source or sources reasonably representative of a cross section of the population which is eligible for jury service in the county.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 904.7. Section 904.7.

(a) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 904.6 or any other provision, in the County of San Bernardino, the presiding judge of the superior court, or the judge appointed by the presiding judge to supervise the grand jury, may, upon the request of the Attorney General or the district attorney or upon his or her own motion, order and direct the impanelment of an additional civil grand jury pursuant to this section. (b) The presiding judge or the judge appointed by the presiding judge to supervise the grand jury shall select persons, at random, from the list of trial jurors in civil and criminal cases and shall examine them to determine if they are competent to serve as grand jurors. When a sufficient number of competent persons have been selected, they shall constitute an additional grand jury. (c) Any additional civil grand jury that is impaneled pursuant to this section may serve for a term as determined by the presiding judge or the judge appointed by the presiding judge to supervise the civil grand jury, but may be discharged at any time within the set term by order of the presiding judge or the judge appointed by the presiding judge to supervise the civil grand jury. In no event shall more than one additional civil grand jury be impaneled pursuant to this section at the same time. (d) Whenever an additional civil grand jury is impaneled pursuant to this section, it may inquire into matters of oversight, conduct investigations, issue reports, and make recommendations, except for any matters that the regular grand jury is inquiring into at the time of its impanelment. Any additional civil grand jury impaneled pursuant to this section shall not have jurisdiction to issue indictments. (e) It is the intent of the Legislature that, in the County of San Bernardino, all persons qualified for jury service shall have an equal opportunity to be considered for service as grand jurors within the county, and that they have an obligation to serve, when summoned for that purpose. All persons selected for an additional grand jury shall be selected at random from a source or sources reasonably representative of a cross section of the population that is eligible for jury service in the county.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 904.8. Section 904.8.

(a) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 904.6 or any other provision, in the County of Los Angeles, the presiding judge of the superior court, or the judge appointed by the presiding judge to supervise the grand jury, may, upon the request of the Attorney General or the district attorney or upon his or her own motion, order and direct the impanelment of up to two additional grand juries pursuant to this section. (b) The presiding judge or the judge appointed by the presiding judge to supervise the grand jury shall select persons, at random, from the list of trial jurors in civil and criminal cases and shall examine them to determine if they are competent to serve as grand jurors. When a sufficient number of competent persons have been selected, they shall constitute an additional grand jury. (c) Any additional grand juries that are impaneled pursuant to this section may serve for a period of one year from the date of impanelment, but may be discharged at any time within the one-year period by order of the presiding judge or the judge appointed by the presiding judge to supervise the grand jury. In no event shall more than two additional grand juries be impaneled pursuant to this section at the same time. (d) Whenever additional grand juries are impaneled pursuant to this section, they may inquire into any matters that are subject to grand jury inquiry and shall have the sole and exclusive jurisdiction to return indictments, except for any matters that the regular grand jury is inquiring into at the time of its impanelment. (e) It is the intent of the Legislature that, in the County of Los Angeles, all persons qualified for jury service shall have an equal opportunity to be considered for service as criminal grand jurors within the county, and that they have an obligation to serve, when summoned for that purpose. All persons selected for an additional criminal grand jury shall be selected at random from a source or sources reasonably representative of a cross section of the population that is eligible for jury service in the county.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 905.5. Section 905.5.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), the grand jury shall be impaneled and serve during the fiscal year of the county in the manner provided in this chapter. (b) The board of supervisors of a county may provide that the grand jury shall be impaneled and serve during the calendar year. The board of supervisors shall provide for an appropriate transition from fiscal year term to calendar year term or from calendar year term to fiscal year term for the grand jury. The provisions of subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 901 shall not be deemed a limitation on any appropriate transition provisions as determined by resolution or ordinance; and, except as otherwise provided in this chapter, no transition grand jury shall serve more than 18 months.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 906. Section 906.

The order shall designate the time at which the drawing will take place. The names of the grand jurors shall be drawn, and the list of names certified and summoned, as is provided for drawing and summoning trial jurors. The names of any persons drawn, who are not impaneled upon the grand jury, may be again placed in the grand jury box.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 907. Section 907.

Any grand juror summoned, who willfully and without reasonable excuse fails to attend, may be attached and compelled to attend and the court may also impose a fine not exceeding fifty dollars ($50), upon which execution may issue. If the grand juror was not personally served, the fine shall not be imposed until upon an order to show cause an opportunity has been offered the grand juror to be heard.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 908. Section 908.

If the required number of the persons summoned as grand jurors are present and not excused, the required number shall constitute the grand jury. If more than the required number of persons are present, the jury commissioner shall write their names on separate ballots, which the jury commissioner shall fold so that the names cannot be seen, place them in a box, and draw out the required number of them. The persons whose names are on the ballots so drawn shall constitute the grand jury. If less than the required number of persons are present, the panel may be filled as provided in Section 211 of the Code of Civil Procedure. If more of the persons summoned to complete a grand jury attend than are required, the requisite number shall be obtained by writing the names of those summoned and not excused on ballots, depositing them in a box, and drawing as provided above.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 908.1. Section 908.1.

When, after the grand jury consisting of the required number of persons has been impaneled pursuant to law, the membership is reduced for any reason, vacancies within an existing grand jury may be filled, so as to maintain the full membership at the required number of persons, by the jury commissioner, in the presence of the court, drawing out sufficient names to fill the vacancies from the grand jury box, pursuant to law, or from a special venire as provided in Section 211 of the Code of Civil Procedure. A person selected as a grand juror to fill a vacancy pursuant to this section may not vote as a grand juror on any matter upon which evidence has been taken by the grand jury prior to the time of the person’s selection.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 908.2. Section 908.2.

(a) Upon the decision of the superior court pursuant to Section 901 to adopt this method of selecting grand jurors, when the required number of persons have been impaneled as the grand jury pursuant to law, the jury commissioner shall write the names of each person on separate ballots. The jury commissioner shall fold the ballots so that the names cannot be seen, place them in a box, and draw out half of the ballots, or in a county where the number of grand jurors is uneven, one more than half. The persons whose names are on the ballots so drawn shall serve for 12 months until July 1 of the following year. The persons whose names are not on the ballots so drawn shall serve for six months until January 1 of the following year. (b) Each subsequent year, on January 2 and July 2, a sufficient number of grand jurors shall be impaneled to replace those whose service concluded the previous day. Those persons impaneled on January 2 shall serve until January 1 of the following year. Those persons impaneled on July 2 shall serve until July 1 of the following year. A person may not serve on the grand jury for more than one year. (c) The provisions of subdivisions (a) and (b) do not apply to the selection of grand jurors for an additional grand jury authorized pursuant to Section 904.6.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 909. Section 909.

Before accepting a person drawn as a grand juror, the court shall be satisfied that such person is duly qualified to act as such juror. When a person is drawn and found qualified he shall be accepted unless the court, on the application of the juror and before he is sworn, excuses him from such service for any of the reasons prescribed in this title or in Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 190), Title 3, Part 1 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 910. Section 910.

No challenge shall be made or allowed to the panel from which the grand jury is drawn, nor to an individual grand juror, except when made by the court for want of qualification, as prescribed in Section 909.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 911. Section 911.

The following oath shall be taken by each member of the grand jury: “I do solemnly swear (affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States and of the State of California, and all laws made pursuant to and in conformity therewith, will diligently inquire into, and true presentment make, of all public offenses against the people of this state, committed or triable within this county, of which the grand jury shall have or can obtain legal evidence. Further, I will not disclose any evidence brought before the grand jury, nor anything which I or any other grand juror may say, nor the manner in which I or any other grand juror may have voted on any matter before the grand jury. I will keep the charge that will be given to me by the court.”

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 912. Section 912.

From the persons summoned to serve as grand jurors and appearing, the court shall appoint a foreman. The court shall also appoint a foreman when the person already appointed is excused or discharged before the grand jury is dismissed.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 913. Section 913.

If a grand jury is not in existence, the Attorney General may demand the impaneling of a grand jury by those charged with the duty to do so, and upon such demand by him, it shall be their duty to do so.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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